Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target Raised to $225.00

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price objective upped by Evercore from $210.00 to $225.00 in a report published on Wednesday. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the stock.

HSY has been the subject of several other research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $178.00 price objective (down from $190.00) on shares of Hershey in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $212.00 to $206.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings upgraded Hershey from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Hershey from $193.00 to $183.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $195.24.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $165.85 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.10. Hershey has a twelve month low of $156.16 and a twelve month high of $239.48. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $169.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $189.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.53. Hershey had a net margin of 14.63% and a return on equity of 37.12%. The company had revenue of $3.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.25 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.30 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Hershey will post 8.65 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, November 16th will be paid a $1.4520 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 79.37%.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bell Investment Advisors Inc bought a new stake in Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Hershey during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Hershey during the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Latitude Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Hershey during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Hershey

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Hershey reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $2.64 per share, well above the roughly $2.11–$2.12 consensus estimate, while revenue of $3.28 billion also exceeded expectations and rose 3% year over year. Hershey Reports Third-Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Pricing gains, cost relief and tariff refunds drove a sharp increase in quarterly profit, prompting Hershey to raise its 2026 earnings outlook. The stronger results provide support for the stock despite volume weakness. HSY Q3 Earnings Top Estimates on Cost Relief and Pricing Gains
• Positive Sentiment: Management maintained its 2027 sales-growth target of 2% to 4% and highlighted a substantially larger innovation pipeline and productivity initiatives as longer-term growth drivers. Hershey Targets 2027 Sales Growth
• Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.452 per common share, equivalent to $5.81 annually and a yield of approximately 3.6%, supporting the income-investment case. Hershey Declares Quarterly Dividends
• Neutral Sentiment: Some market commentary characterizes HSY as a long-term momentum stock, but these assessments are based largely on quantitative ranking factors rather than a new fundamental catalyst. Why Hershey Is a Top Momentum Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Hershey reduced its 2026 organic-sales outlook as high prices, inflation, interest rates and gasoline costs pressure shoppers. Convenience-store candy sales fell 5% in September, and management said the final days of Halloween are critical. Hershey Warns Financial Pressures Could Weigh on Halloween Spending
• Negative Sentiment: Higher cocoa and sugar costs are creating margin risk, while consumers are trading down to smaller candy packages. TD Cowen downgraded HSY to “hold” and cut its price target to $173 from $198; BNP Paribas Exane also reduced its target. Halloween Gets Pricier as Chocolate Costs Rise

About Hershey

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is a global confectionery and snack food manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Founded by Milton S. Hershey in 1894, the company began as a chocolate producer and has grown into one of the largest branded snack businesses in North America.

Hershey’s portfolio includes chocolate, non-chocolate confectionery, gum and mints, and salty snacks. Its brands include Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses, Kit Kat in the United States under license from Nestlé, Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers, Ice Breakers, SkinnyPop and Dot’s Pretzels.